Neolithic societies were defined by the development of agricultural economies not only because part of their diet was obtained from cultivated plants, but also because crop-husbandry practices strongly affected people's lifestyles in a variety of ways. It is therefore unsurprising that the development and diffusion of agriculture can be studied from diverse perspectives and with different approaches, by analysing, for example, the macro- and micro-botanical remains of fruits and grains for morphometric and taxonomic variation (Colledge & Conolly 2007) and genetic history (Mascher et al.2016). Conversely, agriculture can be indirectly assessed through its impact on the environment and subsequent landscape modifications (Zanchetta et al.2013; Mercuri 2014). Yet another approach explores crop-husbandry practices as reflected in changing technology. New agricultural tasks required the adaptation of existing technologies and the adoption of new tools and practices, including querns, millstones and other grain-grinding equipment, as well as artefacts and structures for grain storage, cooking and processing.

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Harvest time: crop-reaping technologies and the Neolithisation of the Central Mediterranean

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Harvest time: crop-reaping technologies and the Neolithisation of the Central Mediterranean

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Mercuri, A.M.2014. Genesis and evolution of the cultural landscape in the Central Mediterranean: the ‘where, when and how’ through the palynological approach. Landscape Ecology29: 1799–810. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-0093-0